Prosecutors detail admissions of bribery by state Rep. Derrick Smith

Chris Sweda, Chicago Tribune

Derrick Smith speaks with supporters.

Derrick Smith speaks with supporters. (Chris Sweda, Chicago Tribune)

Jason MeisnerTribune reporter

Shortly after his 2012 arrest on bribery charges, state Rep. Derrick Smith admitted to the FBI that he had pocketed a $7,000 kickback and even took agents to his home to retrieve some of the ill-gotten cash stashed in his bedroom, federal prosecutors said in a court filing this week.

An FBI account of the alleged confession – made public as part of the filing late Monday -- portrayed Smith as desperate to win his first campaign for state representative and feeling under pressure to raise money to pay campaign workers.

“What I got to do to win?” Smith told agents he’d confided to a campaign worker who turned out to be working undercover for the FBI.

Smith, a lame duck Chicago Democrat who lost in the primary election last month, was charged with taking a bribe in return for writing a letter supporting a day care operator’s bid for a $50,000 state grant.

Smith’s lawyers are trying to block his admissions to the FBI from his corruption trial late next month, arguing the statements were made during plea negotiations and off-limit. But prosecutors said Smith spoke freely after waiving his rights to remain silent and have an attorney present.

Seven FBI agents descended on Smith’s West Side home early on March 13, 2012, and arrested him as he came out to his garage, according to the prosecution filing. At FBI headquarters, he was questioned for the rest of the morning and early afternoon.

A timeline of the questioning showed Smith was provided water to drink and then, at his request, given time alone “to think.” He also took 13 trips to the bathroom over a little more than seven hours he spent in custody, the log shows.

Smith asked about the possible sentence he faced if convicted and told agents he’d written numerous letters in the past for people without getting anything in return. But he acknowledged making a mistake with the day care letter, according to the FBI.

“At numerous times during the interview Smith stated, ‘I f---ed up’ and said that he never should have written a letter for the day care,” the report said. “Smith stated that it was all about getting money to put money back out on the streets in the hands of his campaign workers.”

African American agents accompany him back to his home in an apparent bid to avoid arousing suspicion in his predominately black neighborhood. At his home, Smith retrieved $2,500 of the bribe money –three stacks of $100 bills paper clipped together -- from under a cedar chest in his bedroom, the FBI said. The rest he claimed to have already used to pay campaign workers.

Later that afternoon, the bribery charge against Smith became public and he appeared in federal court. He has publicly denied all wrongdoing.

According to the charges, the informant told investigators Smith started talking about needing help with fundraising almost as soon as he was appointed to fill a vacated House seat in March 2011 and was willing to accommodate reasonable requests from donors who wanted something in return for their contributions. The FBI had the informant tell Smith about the day care center, and Smith offered his help for $5,000, a figure he later raised to $7,000, prosecutors alleged. The day care center -- while real -- was not actually applying for a state grant, authorities said.

A longtime political operative, Smith was booted from office by his fellow representatives after he was charged but won reelection later that year despite his indictment. House Speaker Michael Madigan’s powerful political operation poured more than $70,000 into Smith’s primary campaign this year, but he lost a five-way race for his party’s nomination.